With the ongoing shortage of fuels and the greater emphasis upon fuel efficient buildings, the business of and demand for insulating a home and/or buildings have grown rapidly. It is well known that paper products are being recycled by treating them with chemicals to repel rodents and to retard fire, and then using the pump-like end product for insulation. These recycled paper products when applied are generally fed through a blower such that they become more fluffy, retain more insulative air and are able to be applied at a point distant from the supply.
A similar process is often used for fiberglass. Fiberglass insulation may be utilized in bolts or rolls, or alternatively supplied in bulk and placed in position loose through some mechanized process. As is well known, the handling of fiberglass, regardless of the particular packaging means, is an unpleasant job. It is therefore desirable to have the fiberglass placed in position in as little time as possible and yet have the fiberglass as fluffy as possible. The rapid placement is desirable in that it minimizes operator exposure to the dust and particles, and further reduces cost to the consumer.
It is desirable to utilize fiberglass in many forms, including fiberglass which is scraped or is overage from other areas of application, such as airplane manufacture, if this material may be economically converted for use in homes, buildings, or the like.
It is with this end in mind that the present invention contemplates taking fiberglass, no matter how tightly compacted, passing it through a hammer mill or beater, and then treating it with an anti-static material and blowing it into the appropriate and necessary position in a house or other building.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a machine which will fluff fiberglass insulation and discharge it with sufficient force to carry it to a point of application a substantial distance from the location of the machine.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a machine which operates at a greater speed than heretofore known and has an impeller driven by the same motor as the fluffer such that the fiberglass is quickly passed through the fluffer and the impeller, thus allowing the job to be completed in far less time.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide an impeller mechanism and enclosing apparatus for blowing fiberglass which includes as an integral part thereof means for controlling the application of and for placing anti-static material upon the fluffed fiberglass in a uniform manner.
Still a further object of the present invention is to provide a means whereby an anti-static liquid is impinged upon the end of the rapidly rotating shaft of an impeller such that the anti-static material is evenly distributed throughout any fiberglass insulation which passes thereby.